When They're Playing
by reginamillz
Summary: Emma Swan and Regina Mills have been best friends since their freshman year of high school. Emma's the school's player and Regina's trying to help her put an end to the games she plays. High School AU, SwanQueen
1. Chapter 1

**So I haven't written a story in a while. This was inspired by SwanQueen week's Best Friend Romance Day. I'm hoping to make this a full story so please leave reviews and thoughts!**

 **The title is inspired by the song** ** _Dreams_** **by Fleetwood Mac!**

Regina watched with disdain as her blonde best friend leaned over her newest conquest who was pressed against a locker. She scoffed, the innocent red head looked at Emma as though she held the world in her hands. Regina had seen this time and time again, Emma would find a girl, sometimes two, sweet talk them, get them to fall for her, and break their hearts once she got what she wanted.

It had been this way since their freshman year at Storybrooke High School. The two of them had a forged an unlikely friendship when Emma zeroed in on Regina their first day. It seemed she was the only one who could manage to resist the blonde's charms. Of course Emma pursued Regina for about a month before the brunette conceded to being her friend. Regina would never admit it to her best friend but she had always harbored a small crush on her. She refused to act on it however, knowing how Emma operated when it came to anything romantic.

With a sigh and a scowl she walked over to her best friend and yanked her off of the red head, not even bothering to acknowledge the other girl. She heard Emma yelp and mutter a rushed apology while trying to keep up with her.

"Dammit Gina, what the hell! I was going in for the kill!" Emma tugged her arm out of the brunette's death grip.

Regina turned around to face her friend with a glare. "I thought you said you were going to stop being a womanizer."

Emma blushed and reached her arm up to scratch the back of her head, "Maybe I am, I actually like that girl,"

Regina arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow "Really? What was her name?"

The blonde bit her lip in thought, "Uh . . . Aria . . . or was it Amy?"

To that Regina huffed and rolled her eyes, "No, she's in my AP U.S History class, it's Ariel." she turned on her heels and began walking away, knowing Emma would follow her.

"Ah come on Gina, ok so I can't quit cold turkey but how am I supposed to find a girl I like if I can't flirt with them?"

"There's a difference between flirting and undressing with your eyes Em." Regina opened the door to their Algebra 2 class. She made her way to their shared table. Sitting in the front had been her choice of course.

Emma sighed as she sat down next to Regina and began copying the logarithms that were on the board.

She leaned in slightly to whisper in Regina's ear "Look I'm trying ok? I don't like breaking hearts but I never feel anything for these girls."

A shiver ran down Regina's back, she coughed before sitting up straight and writing a response in her notebook.

 **You need a girl who you can be consistent with.**

She watched Emma smirk before writing back

 _The only consistent girl in my life is you._

Regina tried to cover up the blush rising on her face and closed her notebook before turning to pay attention to the teacher.

About five minutes into the lesson she felt Emma poke her side with a pencil. She tried to ignore her and made a show of turning to face the teacher even more. She jumped when she felt another poke.

Her nostrils flared as she turned to look at Emma.

"What?" she whispered with menace.

"I'm sorry," Emma said meekly.

Regina pursed her lips and turned away.

"Regina!" Emma whispered, "You know you can't stay made at me."

Silence.

"Gina, I'm sorry, come on please forgive me, I was being dumb." Emma pleaded.

Regina refused to reply, ignoring her for the rest of the hour.

As soon as the bell rang Regina shot out of her seat and walked as fast as she could in her heels toward her locker. Emma being in black high top converse, caught up to her quickly.

"Leave me alone," Regina opened her locker to block Emma's face.

"Regina come on, you know I was just being dumb."

After grabbing her necessary books Regina slammed her locker closed before looking at her best friend. Of course she knew Emma was joking but Emma didn't know how she felt.

"I'm not one of your girls Emma," Regina started calmly. "you know I hate when you do that."

Emma raised her hands up in defeat, "Alright, I know I'm sorry, I know you're not one of my girls but we both know you're the only consistent person in my life, I didn't mean it like that."

Regina gave her one final mirthless glare before saying "Don't try to womanize me, you're my best friend and that's it."

Regina missed the flash of sadness that made its way across Emma's face. "Yeah I know, let's go to another bullshit class." she linked arms with the brunette as they headed to their last class of the day.

Both friends tried their hardest to settle into the idea of what they were and would always be. Friends and only friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, thanks for those who have reviewed/followed/favorited, I'm going to try and update once a week from now on. Thought I'd give you a little background on Emma, and why she** **acts the way she does.**

 **Chapter Two: It's Just** C **hillin' Ya Know**

Being abandoned at birth and growing up in the foster system gave Emma a very limited view on love. When she was younger she would use to try to justify her birth parents' reasoning for leaving her to die on the side of the road. Maybe they were aliens and had to leave her on a strange planet because their home planet was at war, or maybe her birth mother had her in the woods and died before being able to take her to the hospital. Emma had long since ruled out the alien theory, and the seven year old boy who found her hadn't seen any trace of another person with her that day. So as cliché as it sounds, little orphan Emma had no idea what love was.

This changed when her social worker dropped her in the middle of nowhere, better known as Storybrooke, Maine. Her mother Ingrid actually took her time trying to get to know Emma before judging her, she never put her hands on her, and she reassured the younger blonde time and time again that Emma was more than a meal ticket. Emma soon found out that she wasn't the only one who knew the pain of abandonment. Ingrid's family disowned her when they found out she was pregnant at seventeen. Ingrid learned to find her way without her family's money and raised her daughter Elsa, Emma's older sister on her own. Ingrid ended up making a good life for herself, she ran a popular ice cream shop in the small town, whose only rival in popularity is Granny's Diner.

When Emma came out as a lesbian to Ingrid in the beginning of her freshman year she was easily accepted by her mother. Although Ingrid didn't agree with Emma's way with women, she never shamed her for what she felt in her heart.

Emma knew for sure that Ingrid loved her when she offered to adopt her on her fifteenth birthday. Ingrid and Elsa were her forever family and she couldn't have asked for anything more.

The only person Emma loved outside of her family was Regina. In the beginning it had been a game to Emma. Flirt and fuck, that was how it always went. Regina however didn't play by the rules. She turned down every advance that Emma made on her and for that Emma admired her. When Emma finally decided to give up on getting in Regina's pants the two realized they were each other's perfect match, as friends of course.

The two knew everything about each other, from their favorite candy to the reason why Regina only ever wore long sleeves during their freshman year. There was really only three reasons for their separation, work, different classes, or Emma messing around with a new girl.

Even the bossiness and organization didn't turn Emma off, and as highly unlikely as it seemed, they balanced one another.

Although Emma liked Regina a lot, she knew they worked better as friends. She wouldn't be able to handle herself if she hurt Regina, and since she had truly never had a real girlfriend she knew paining her best friend would be inevitable if they made their friendship anything more.

The blonde also knew Regina had a thing for her, she also knew that her best friend would never in her life admit it. If there was one thing Emma was good at it was reading women. Neither of the two would act on their feelings because the consequences were too grand.

Emma sighed breaking out of her thoughts. She had just read three pages for her Lit class and didn't comprehend anything because of all the thoughts in her head. She was currently lying on Regina's bed in a sports bra and sweatpants, giving a weak attempt at doing her homework. She looked up from her book to see Regina spinning around on her desk chair instead of taking notes for their next Algebra lesson.

She tried commanding her gaze not to linger as she took in what her best friend was wearing. A gray Nike sports bra, and form fitting black tights that hugged every curve of her figure. Emma knew for a fact that Regina was wearing s thong underneath her tights because she often complained about seeing other girls letting their underwear lines show.

She only tore her eyes away when Regina stopped spinning to look at her. The brunette blushed when she realized she was caught in the act of goofing off.

"Can we finish our homework later, I can't concentrate." Emma groaned, Regina always made sure she finished her school work because she refused to graduate without Emma by her side.

"Yes," Regina relented, "but only because my mind is ten thousand miles away right now." she moved from her desk and flopped down on her bed next to Emma.

"Let's finally start season three of Orange Is The New Black, " Emma decided, turning on the television and connecting to Netflix. The two had watched the first two seasons together but had been to busy with work and road trips to start the third season during the summer.

"Ugh, I really don't want to have to watch Piper's bullshit."

"Come on Gina, I heard the new character Stella is like amazingly hot."

Regina snorted, "You're so gay,"

"Yeah like you're not?" Emma rolled her eyes, getting ready to press play.

" _Bisexual_ , thank you very much." Regina glared at her before moving to lie her head on Emma's lap like she'd done anytime they watch their favorite show.

Emma stayed silent and pressed play while absentmindedly playing with Regina's hair.

She wondered if this was what Poussey had been talking about in season two when she was asked to describe what she thought love is.


End file.
